Welcome to Avalon
Be Afraid of the Dark…
Drabble Wednesday: After Worldfall
Three more drabbles this week, and I’m thinking of expanding the idea into a new drabble series. I’d love your feedback on whether you’d like to see more of these stories.
The Future World
3212 AW (After Worldfall)
The Past Civilization Museum
“Welcome, children, to the 2021 BW (Before Worldfall) exhibit. You are now entering the Hall of Gods. This is our newest display: LOL Cats. Our archaeologists surmise that LOL was a god of merriment and worshiped by many. Cats seem to be especially sacred to LOL.”
Pre-teen children stare at the wavering image of a jumping cat and then the tour group moves on.
“To the right, view the god of sticks, Harry Potter, and here we see the partially constructed image of one of their most venerable and wise gods, Gandalf.”
Next Exhibit
3212 AW (After Worldfall)
The Past Civilization Museum
“Well children, here’s the Zon exhibit, one of ancient civilization’s biggest temples, home of the strange commerce god, Algorithm; a mercurial god, with an ever-changing worship system. Both the temple and god are a source of debate among scholars. This is the temple’s symbol.”
A visual display of a faded black and yellow “A” spins on the screen.
“Another great temple was dedicated to the god of Chaos, Zuck, but its name was lost in the great cataclysm. However, we’ve recovered its emblem.”
A glowing blue and white “F” appeared on screen.
Icons
3212 AW (After Worldfall)
The Past Civilization Museum
“As you noticed in the last exhibit, the Before Worldfall civilization communicated with symbology in its worship. In fact, they had an extensive language of hieroglyphics; one of the main images being the round, yellow, smiling man.”
An unnerving picture of a sickly grinning circle popped up on the screen, and the children shrieked.
“Apparently this creature was used to denote feelings and was used to depict various emotions. It was also used quite often in the worship of LOL, and some surmise the yellow man may have been a lesser deity.”
#OctoberFrights – Day 6: Fairy Tales and Nightmares
Today is our last day of October Frights and to close off the Hop, I’m sharing an excerpt from my WIP, Fairy Tales and Nightmares, where I’m putting a dark fantasy and horror spin on classic fairy tales. The excerpt is from my take on Sleeping Beauty…
The Sleep of Death
Once, beyond reality and memory, within the confines of a strange forgotten kingdom, a princess was born. The land rejoiced in its grand fortune, delighted in the bounty of such a fair and beauteous child, and to her naming ceremony came nobles and princes, diplomats and courtiers, all to bestow upon her the finest gifts.
Yet one arrived to the festivities who was not invited: a darkling faerie. The air stilled at her entrance, frost circling the skin, and the light dimmed to a dusky hue. She strode across the marbled floor towards the throne, riveting the attention of all present with the swish of black silk and lace, uttering a prophecy frightful and foreboding…
“When this princess reaches her sixteenth year, a curse will fall upon this kingdom. Great evil stalks this girl, and will taint her life in blood and death. Beware the child of doom.”
With those words the faerie drew a shining sword and made to slaughter the babe in her mother’s arms. A valiant effort, but lost to a king’s guard who ran the faerie through with his own blade, killing her before she succeeded in her mission. With her final breaths, the faerie touched the edge of the baby’s forehead. A symbol of a thorn, of the briar rose, etched itself into the child’s skin.
As she died, the faerie whispered, “I did what I could. May it be enough…”
***
One bright spring morning, the old eastern tower beckoned to Princess Briar Rose and kindled her curiosity. The need to explore tickled her senses and prickled her skin, and she snuck away after breakfast to climb the stairs in the older part of the castle.
She coughed as her footsteps scraped against the stairs, ancient dust stirred by her passage, and grit filthied her skin as she steadied herself on the banister. Her impulse seemed less appealing the further she climbed, and subsequently she wandered into an unused sewing room in a final attempt at salvaging her adventure.
Sunlight spun against the stone walls from an arched window, casting a dim warm light to illuminate the nearly empty room. For no spinning wheels or spindles greeted her, just a man waiting in a plush chair by a table, next to an open bottle of wine and two glasses.
”Hello, my dear Briar Rose. I am Andrei. I’ve been expecting you.”
Briar Rose stared, fear and wonder warred in thoughts, and she remained rooted in the open doorway.
Who is he? How dare he address me without a proper introduction? How does he even know me?
She knew she should run, but his eyes held hers in a mesmer’s gaze, the deep ocean blue pulling her into the room as the door swung shut behind her. Andrei smiled at her and her breath caught in her throat. He poured the wine into the glasses.
“Come, sit, my sweet girl, and drink with me.”
She moved without conscious thought, her feet scuffing against the wood and settled in the chair opposite the stranger. She drank of the wine as if she were a puppet, her movements as a marionette on a string being guided by another. The sweet wine infused her with a warmth, a somnolent languor that banished any trace of fear. All she saw were Andrei’s sapphire eyes, and the fullness of his grinning lips.
He reached out, caressing her chin, tilting her head ever so slightly. “Will you allow me a kiss, Briar Rose?”
She nodded, leaning forward to taste his beckoning lips.
It would be her everlasting mistake.
And don’t forget our other book goodies
October Frights Giveaway: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/Ac7PxRJ
Book Fair: https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair
And be sure to continue hopping with the other participating blogs
#OctoberFrights – Day 5: Dark Poetry
Today, we celebrate dark poetry, with a spotlight on my new poetry book and a few poem excerpts from the collection. Enjoy.
Poetry of Monsters and Madness
From the darkness and the shadows
From the lunacy and the void
The words flow on moonlight and mayhem, slithering tentacles along the night. Follow the siren song of myth and monstrosity, the shrieking call of creatures wild and terrifying. Wander down the mind’s mania as it leads you past reality into disturbing delusion.
Come read the Poetry of Monsters and Madness.
Excerpts
Endless
In the lasting hour
of the Evermore,
in the creeping silence
of the dark wing raven,
the blind eyes see
The rivers flow in circles,
forgotten in the night
in the never-ending hour
of the hollow heart
Near the edges of forever
the sky cracks azure pale
blossoming breath of endless
The breeze blows roving time
and mislaid notes of sorrow
In the hour of Evermore
The Hessian
When the swirl of autumn leaves
stirs the dank smell of loam and dirt
and the bright moon shimmers through
the shadow of bare-boned oaken trees
When the witching hour whispers
to the prowling echoes of the dead
and that reverberation of hoofbeats
thunders down the lonesome road
He rides on the graveyard dust
and a fire-eyed black stallion
He rides on the wind of the devil,
the Headless Horseman rides tonight…
The Madness of Being
Scream
with a thousand voices
reverberations of their apathy,
pinpricks inside your purview
of existential insanity
Gods of the Void
are calling
Shriek
cascading shards of sound
glass falling into psychosis
against the swallowing sea
of forgotten secrets
Gods of the Void
are waiting
And don’t forget our other book goodies
October Frights Giveaway: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/Ac7PxRJ
Book Fair: https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair
And be sure to continue hopping with the other participating blogs
#OctoberFrights – Day 4: Drabble Wednesday
Today I have the October Frights edition of Drabble Wednesday, with some spooky tales. Be sure to leave the lights on and enjoy….
Dark Sonata of the Moon
Glistening moonlight wrapped in the shadow of night. Calm water reflecting the hushed scene of tranquil illusion. Not a trace of wind nor breath of air, not a ripple on the lake. Time itself had stilled in anticipation, or fear.
Energy reverberated from beneath earth and silt, a stirring of eldritch things disregarded, creatures thought long dead and vanquished. Veins of ash snaked outward and upward, transforming verdant trees into living pillars black as pitch, their leaves turning crisp and sharp. The lake boiled and steam hissed, spurting hot spray ascendant, as the monsters rose from the depths of hell.
Beware the Witching Hour
A sour smell drifted on the night breeze, gracing the midnight hour and the full moon in the blackened sky. An open shutter creaked in time with sleeping breath, attracting the attention of something… uninvited.
Mist slithered through the open window, hovering over the slumbering child before morphing into its true form and settling onto the boy’s chest. The Night Hag cackled, scraping its claws against its victim’s cheek. He moaned, expelling breath, and the Hag inhaled, drawing life from the child. Terror froze the boy’s bones, and the Hag feasted, leaving nothing but a corpse to greet the sun.
Scarecrow
Peck, peck, peck.
The crow poked its beak against the head of the limp form hung from the crossed stakes. Dressed in tattered clothes and suspended by its wrists, the makeshift scarecrow dangled from the posts placed at the edge of the cornfield. Overhead, the sunset scattered orange light across the harvested ground.
Rap, rap, rap.
The bird’s beak struck something hard as it pulled at the squishy outer coating. It hopped to the shoulder and waddled down the arm. The beak snatched an eyeball from the corpse’s skull, feasting, and then another. Tasty morsels to feed its hungry belly.
And don’t forget our other book goodies
October Frights Giveaway: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/Ac7PxRJ
Book Fair: https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair
And be sure to continue hopping with the other participating blogs
#OctoberFrights – Day 3: Ghosts of Yesteryear
Welcome to day 3 of October Frights where I have some ghoulish delights in the from of flash fiction dealing with ghostly hauntings.
Ghosts of Fae
Light rain settled into the mist, drumming a gentle rhythm in the puddles forming on the dirt road. The narrow rutted lane, overgrown and not frequented by many, ran through a scrub woodland before ending rather abruptly at the edge of the fens. Once, it had been a way to transport reeds, or used as a hunting track, but now it stretched and wound among tangled fauna, forgotten, lost in the echo of a past buried under modern sensibilities.
Until twilight on certain nights, within the warm light against the cold edge, when the veil between worlds shimmered and shifted subtly, letting a hint of the elder magic into the human realm. That’s when the old ghosts roamed the fens and forest, when the whispers of yesteryear resurfaced with shreds of ancient power, searching to reclaim their own. Anyone with sense stayed far away from the fenlands on those nights, safe behind closed doors guarded by locks made of iron laced steel. Too many foolish souls had vanished beyond the woods, their bones forever lost in the marshes.
Winter Ghosts
Tell me your name…
The dulcet whisper wafted on the breeze from beyond the frozen trees; branches rattled their ice in its wake. Crows swooped overhead in the grey sky, their harsh caws startling Evan nearly as much as the strange voice. He kept walking down the trail, his boots crunching against the frosted earth.
Tell me your name…
The trees rattled again, the sound like bones shaking in their grave. The snow swirled in puffs from the ground and the icy snap of the wind nipped at Evan’s face. But he didn’t turn around, never answered the disembodied murmur. He just kept moving, until a shadow crossed his path.
Tell me your name…
The apparition stood in his way. The women in black, pale and gaunt, eyes dripping blood. Evan shivered, knowing he had tarried too long in the woods. He knew he was lost.
Tell me your name…
The words spilled from his lips as the ghost smiled and the night enveloped the forest. Not a soul heard Evan scream…
And don’t forget our other book goodies
October Frights Giveaway: https://storyoriginapp.com/to/Ac7PxRJ
Book Fair: https://afstewart.ca/october-frights-book-fair
And be sure to continue hopping with the other participating blogs
